Baccarat bonus feature

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a game of Baccarat is disclosed. Upon a triggering event, a first card in either the Player or Banker hand is revealed, and the player is permitted to make a second wager based on information gained from knowledge of the rank of the revealed card. If the hand the player wagers on wins, a payout is made on both wagers.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This Application claims priority from Australian Complete PatentApplication Serial No. 2007202625, filed Jun. 7, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wagering games of chance, particularlywagering games using playing cards, and more particularly casino tablecard games, such as baccarat, with a bonus event.

2. Background of the Art

In this specification unless the contrary is expressly stated, where adocument, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, thisreference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act oritem of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date,publicly available, known to the public, part of common generalknowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problemwith which this specification is concerned.

Baccarat is one of the many live table games played in casinos or gamingestablishments. Baccarat uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards and isusually dealt from a shoe having multiple decks that have been shuffledtogether prior to the beginning of play.

The object of the game of Baccarat is for the bettor to successfullywager on whether the Bank's hand or the Player's hand is going to win.The bettor receives even money for his wager if he selects the winninghand and loses his wager if he selects the losing hand. Because of therules of play of Baccarat and more particularly the pre-established drawrules, the Bank's hand has a slightly higher chance of winning than doesthe Player's hand. The winning frequency for the Bank's hand has beendetermined to be 0.45859 (45.859%) whereas the winning frequency for thePlayer hand is 0.44624 (44.624%), with the remainder of the outcomesbeing ties. Therefore, if the bettor wagers on the Bank's hand and theBank hand wins, the bettor must pay to the gaming establishment acommission (typically 5%) of the amount the bettor wins. No commissionis paid if the bettor successfully wagers on the Player's hand.

As used in this specification, the term “Conventional Manner of Play ofBaccarat” is as follows:

A multiple number of decks of standard playing cards, 52 in number, areused; typically eight decks are shuffled together and placed in a shoefrom which the cards are dealt during the play of the game.

Each bettor makes a wager on whether the Bank's hand or the Player'shand will win. After all wagers are made, two cards are dealt from theshoe to the Player position and two cards are dealt from the shoe to theBanker position on the table layout. The cards are turned face up andthe value of the Bank hand and the Player hand is determined, moduloten. Aces count one; Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens count zero and theother cards count their respective face value. The suits (Spades,Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs) have no meaning in Baccarat.

The highest hand value in Baccarat is nine. All hand values range from alow of zero to a high of nine. If when the cards are added together, thetotal of the hand exceeds nine, then the hand value is determined moduloten. For example, a seven and an eight total fifteen, but the hand valueis five. An Ace and a nine total ten, but the hand value is zero.

A two card total of eight or nine is called a “natural”; a two cardtotal of zero is called a “baccarat.” As will be explained below, incertain situations in the play of the game, a third card will be dealt.The value of this third card is added to the total of the first twocards and a new hand value is established. Again, if the new hand totalexceeds nine, the hand value is determined by subtracting ten from thetotal of the hand.

Prior to the deal, each better can make one of three wagers: 1) that theBank hand will win; 2) that the Player hand will win; or 3) that theBank hand and the Player hand will tie. Wagering locations are providedon the Baccarat table layout. Whichever of the Bank hand or the Playerhand is closest to a total on nine is the winner.

All winning Bank hand wagers are paid off at odds of one-to-one and thehouse charges a five percent (5%) commission on the amount won by thebettor. For example, if a bettor wagers $100 on the Bank hand and theBank hand wins, the bettor wins $100 and is charged a $5 commission onthe amount that the bettor won. The bettor is not charged any commissionon the amount of his wager.

All winning Player hand wagers are paid off at odds of one-to-one andthe bettor is not charged any commission on the amount of his winningsor his wager because the house, by virtue of the third card draw rules,has a statistical advantage over the player of 45.859-44.624 or 1.235%which is the vigorish of the house on player wagers. Winning wagers onthe Tie hand bet are paid off at odds of nine-to-one or eight-to-one(depending on the gaming establishment) and the bettor is not chargedany commission on the amount of his winnings or his wager since there isalready a statistical advantage in favor of the house on tie wagers. Ifa Tie hand occurs, all wagers on the Bank hand and all wagers on thePlayer hand are “pushes” and the amount wagered is returned to thebettor.

Depending on the point total of the Player's hand and the Banker's hand,one more card may be dealt to either the Player's hand, the Banker'shand or both hands. The rules for determining whether a third card isdealt are fixed rules, there is no discretion for either the Player'shand or the Banker's hand on whether a third card is dealt.

If either the Player hand or the Banker hand has a point total of eightor nine on the first two cards, no third card is dealt to either handand the hand with the highest point total is the winner (or the hand isa Tie, as the case may be). If neither the Player hand nor the Bankerhand has a point total of eight or nine, then there is a possibility ofa third card draw.

The rules for the Player hand and the Banker hand drawing a third cardvary depending on the point total of the first two cards, as follows:

Player's Drawing Rule:

The player must draw a third card if the player has a total of 5 orless.

Banker's Drawing Rules:

If the banker has a total of 0-2, then the banker must draw.

If the banker has a total of 3, then the banker must stand if theplayer's three cards total 8.

If the banker has a total of 4, then the banker must draw it theplayer's three cards total is between 2 and 7.

If the banker has a total of 5, then the banker must draw if theplayer's three cards total is between 4 and 7.

If the banker has a total of 6, then the banker must draw if theplayer's three card total is between 6 and 7.

If the banker has a total of 7, then the banker must stand.

If the banker has a total of 8 or 9, then the banker is a naturalwinner.

If the player does not draw a third card, then the banker follows theplayer's rule, i.e., the banker must draw a third card if he has a totalof 5 or less.

At the end of each hand, winning wagers are paid and losing wagers arecollected by the house. Any commission due to the house is marked incommission boxes in the center of the table. Gaming chips are used torepresent the amount of money owed by each bettor to the house for thecommissions. In order not to slow down the progress of the game, thecommission is not actually collected from each bettor until the end ofthe round determined by all of the cards in the shoe being dealt down tothe plastic cut card, usually approximately eighty hands.

It has become desirable to provide side bet events or jackpot events toenhance the interest of and attractiveness to gamers.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,585,586 and 6,896,614 (Romero) describe an assembly forplaying a variation of the game baccarat including a computer processor,a display and a user actuatable selector. The computer processor isstructured to determine a winning hand in accordance with rules ofbaccarat. Additionally, the computer processor monitors the nature ofthe winning hand and/or monitors consecutive ones of the user's handsand indicates a bonus payout for the user in the event that the winninghand totals a natural nine or that consecutive ones of the user's handshave a final number count equal to a natural nine. In one variation, theuser is further able to designate one of the initial cards that comprisethe player's hand or the banker's hand in exchange for a new card tocomplete the initial hand and/or may view the initial cards beforeselecting whether to play the banker's hand or the player's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,824 (Selitzky) describes a bonus method for a basecasino card game, such as Blackjack or Baccarat. Play begins with theplayer making an ante wager and a first and second bonus wager. Theplayer and dealer are each dealt a hand of cards, or electronicrepresentations thereof. The player plays the player's hand tocompletion and is rewarded based on the player's first bonus wager ifthe player's hand includes a predetermined bonus combination. The valuesof the cards are then summed according to the rules of the base game andthe player's ante wager is resolved by comparing a player's hand valuewith the hand value of the dealer and determining which hand is closestto a target value. Finally, the player's second bonus wager is resolvedby rewarding the player if the player has won both the base game and thefirst bonus wager. If the player loses the base game or does not have abonus combination, the player's second bonus wager is collected.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,211 (Nazaryan) describes a wagering card gamepermitting players to play against a dealer or the “house” and notagainst other players. Six standard decks of playing cards, from whichall kings and queens have been removed, are combined. Each of thenumbered cards has a number value equal to its rank, jacks have a numbervalue of zero, and aces have a number value of 11. Each player places awager as to whether a three-card game hand to be dealt to him or herwill be odd or even. If a player is dealt a jack, the player loses thewager. If a player is not dealt a jack, and the player's odd/even wagermatches the sum of the number values of the three cards in that player'sgame hand, then the player wins the wager. Preferably, a single card isdealt face down to the dealer and in addition to an odd/even wager as tothe player's own game hand, the player is permitted to place one or moreother wagers as to a characteristic of the face down card. Further, eachplayer is permitted to place additional wagers as to anothercharacteristic of the cards in the player's own game hand. Variations ofthe type of game hand dealt are also possible.

There is some background art that is available with respect to variouswagering and card playing games and rules that might also be consideredin appreciating the scope of the present invention, such as PublishedU.S. Applications 20040256802 and 20050127607 (Centrone); and U.S. Pat.No. 5,615,888 (Lofink). All references cited herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety for their disclosures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, a player plays a uniquemethod of play of baccarat. The player places a first wager in anunderlying baccarat game. After placing the wager, a single card isdisplayed to be used specifically in either a Player hand or Bankerhand. After a player sees the single card, the method includes allowingthe player to increase the amount of the first wager on the underlyingbaccarat game with a second wager. The baccarat game is then played toconclusion and any first wager and any second wager are paid accordingto ordinary resolutions of baccarat wagers. Prior to displaying anybanker hand cards or player hand cards, the method may provide arandomly occurring prior trigger event. Prior to displaying any dealerhand cards, the method may include providing a prior randomly occurringtrigger event. Upon providing a randomly occurring prior trigger event,a single card to be used specifically in either a Player hand or Bankerhand is then displayed.

After a player who has made the first wager sees the single banker handcard, the player has an option to increase the amount of the first wageron the underlying baccarat game with a second wager or continue playingwith the amount of the first wager. The baccarat game is then played toconclusion and any first wager and any second wager are resolvedaccording to ordinary resolutions of baccarat wagers. The game isplayable in live format, electronic video game format, or a hybrid liveand video format.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided abaccarat game by a method comprising:

-   -   at least one player placing a first wager in an underlying        baccarat game;    -   displaying a single card to be used specifically in either a        Player hand or Banker hand;    -   after a player sees the single card, allowing the player to        increase the amount of the first wager on the underlying        baccarat game with a second wager; and    -   playing the baccarat game to conclusion and paying any first        wager and any second wager according to ordinary resolutions of        baccarat wagers. Prior to displaying any banker hand cards or        player hand cards, the method may optionally provide a randomly        occurring prior trigger event. Prior to displaying any banker        hand cards, the method may include providing a randomly        occurring prior trigger event. Upon providing a randomly        occurring prior trigger event, a single card to be used        specifically in either a Player hand or Banker hand is then        displayed.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided anelectronic apparatus for playing a wagering game of baccarat comprising:

-   -   a processor;    -   a video monitor; and    -   player input controls at least for placing wagers, increasing        wagers and selecting a hand to wager upon,    -   wherein the processor enables:    -   a) display and play of a baccarat game on the apparatus,    -   b) accepting of wagers from the player on the wagering game of        baccarat, and    -   c) determination of random addition of a bonus event to the play        of the wagering game of baccarat, wherein the bonus event        comprises allowing the player after a first wager has been made        on the wagering game of baccarat to see at least one card in        play in the wagering game of baccarat and after seeing the at        least one card, allowing the player to optionally place a second        wager on the wagering game of baccarat and    -   d) resolving all wagers placed on the wagering game of baccarat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a screen shot of a baccarat game in which a single card hasbeen disclosed from a Banker hand on the basis of a displayed randombonus event.

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram of one method of play according to thepresent technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a player plays a baccarat gamecombined with a unique bonus event. The player places a first wager inan underlying baccarat game on either the Player hand, the Banker handand/or a tie event. After placing the wager, a single card is displayedto be used specifically in either a Player hand or Banker hand. After aplayer sees the single card, the player is permitted to increase theamount of the first wager on the underlying baccarat game with a secondwager. The baccarat game is then played to conclusion. Any first wagerand any second wager are paid according to ordinary resolutions ofbaccarat wagers. Prior to displaying any banker hand cards or playerhand cards, the method may also provide a randomly occurring priortrigger event. Prior to displaying any banker hand cards, the method mayalso include providing a randomly occurring prior trigger event. Uponproviding a prior trigger event, a single card to be used specificallyin either a Player hand or Banker hand is then displayed.

In one preferred embodiment, prior to displaying any banker hand cards,the game system, rules or process provides a randomly occurring priortrigger event. Upon occurrence of the prior trigger event, a singlebanker hand card is displayed. After a player who has made the firstwager sees the single banker hand card, the player has an option toincrease the amount of the first wager (on the same wagering event, thatis increasing a wager on the Player hand, increasing the wager on theBanker hand and/or increasing the wager on a tie event) on theunderlying baccarat game with a second wager or may also continueplaying with the amount of the first wager. Because of the underlyingpercentages on the Banker hand wager and tie bet advantages, the Playermay be allowed to place a second wager on a different event than thefirst wager. For example, in one embodiment, upon the occurrence of arandomly occurring trigger event, the player is permitted to make aseparate wager on a different game outcome from the first wager. If, forexample, the player made a first wager of $5.00 on the player hand, theplayer can now make a second $5.00 wager on the banker hand or a tiehand. The baccarat game is then played to conclusion and any first wagerand any second wager are resolved according to ordinary resolutions ofbaccarat wagers. The game is playable in either live format, electronicvideo game format, or a hybrid live and video format.

The essential technology and rules of the baccarat bonus feature of thepresent invention is used with an underlying baccarat game, with all itsattendant and ordinary rules, except for the provision of a randomlyoccurring bonus trigger event and the additional second wager allowed onthe underlying baccarat game. The underlying game of baccarat ismodified only with respect to the bonus event and not the underlyinggame itself.

Although the triggering event occurs on a random basis in a firstexample of the invention, the triggering event may be predetermined,pseudo-randomly determined, may occur according to a schedule or byother known means.

The game may be played in a live format, on a video gaming system, or ona system that combined components of a live game and electroniccomponents known as a hybrid system. As played on a video gamingapparatus with a processor, a player places a wager on the Player orBanker hand (and/or tie) in advance of the cards (here virtual cards)being provided or displayed. The processor generates a random bonusevent, which may or may not be based on frequency of hand play or may bea purely random or pseudo-random event initiated by a random event orrandom number generator.

In advance of both or either of the Player hand and Banker hand beingfully disclosed in a first or second game, a triggering event may berandomly determined as to whether or not the next game or the presentgame (before any disclosure of cards) will be a Bonus Feature game. Itis also possible that the appearance of a particular dealt card triggersthe bonus. In this example, when a first Banker card is turned over andif the particular card is dealt, before the second card and any Playercards are disclosed, the random bonus feature may be triggered. If thenext card dealt is not a card that triggers the bonus feature, astandard game of baccarat is played. If the card is a particular cardthat triggers the Bonus Feature event, then the bonus event istriggered. After viewing this single card, but less than all cards inthe two hands, the player is allowed to increase his original wager by asecond wager on a same winning event (Player hand or Banker hand), or ona different winning event usually by a fixed amount (e.g., 1×, 2×, 3×the original first wager amount). The game of baccarat is continuedaccording to standard rules, and the original wager and second wager areresolved according to standard baccarat rules.

The nature of the random event can be provided in various ways dependingupon the game format. Even in a fully or substantially fully live game,a random number generator can be used with a display to provide anindicator that the present hand or the next hand or some future handwill be a bonus event. Such a random number generator and display thatmay be modified according to the practices of the present invention areshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,411 (Breeding). Even dice may be used, withonly certain numbers in the desired range of probabilities (e.g., a rollof 11 with a 1/18 probability, or a roll of 10 with a 1/12 probability)to determine when the present hand or next hand is a bonus event. It isdesirable in any such forecasting of the bonus event in a live game thatonly players playing in the previous game (when the bonus event wassignaled) or already in the game when the signal appears can takeadvantage of and play in the baccarat round with the bonus event. Thiswill prevent players from waiting around tables (without playing) forthe bonus event to be signaled and only then entering the game. Thiscontrol would be important especially in multiple player formats such aslive table games, hybrid games, VegasStar® game systems, TableMaster®games systems, internet gaming systems and other formats in whichmultiple players can play the same hand. Single player video systems mayalso be locked out of bonus play if the current player cashes out at thetime the bonus event is triggered. This prevents a new play fromparticipating in bonus play without first playing conventional baccarat.

The method of the present invention is illustrated in the process flowdiagram of FIG. 2.

The first step 20 is for a player to place a wager in the game ofBaccarat. The wager may be on the player hand the banker hand or a tiehand.

According to an embodiment, a trigger event 30 may or may not initiatebonus play. If bonus event is triggered, bonus play commences.Otherwise, normal baccarat play resumes.

When a triggering event occurs at step 40, at least one card isdisplayed from the initial player or banker hand.

The player at step 50 has to option, after viewing the displayed card,to make an additional wager. The additional wager can be made on thesame hand as the initial wager, on a different hand, or a tie hand. Inone example, the first wager is increased by placing the second wager.

In step 60, the baccarat hand is played to conclusion. Player and Bankerhands take hit cards according to known deal/draw rules.

At step 70, all wagers are resolved according to the rules of Baccarat.

The invention also includes an electronic computerized apparatus forplaying a wagering game of baccarat. The apparatus has at least aprocessor, a video monitor and player input controls as they are knownand used in the video gaming art, especially for single playerapparatus, banked apparatus, multiplayer formats and communal gamingapparatus. The processor enables a) display and play of a game ofwagering game of baccarat on the apparatus, b) accepting wagers from theplayer on the wagering game of baccarat, c) determination of randomaddition of a bonus event to the play of the wagering game of baccarat,wherein the bonus event comprises allowing the player after a firstwager has been made on the wagering game of baccarat and upon theoccurrence of a triggering event, to see at least one card in play inthe wagering game of baccarat and after seeing the at least one card,allowing the player to optionally place a second wager on the wageringgame of baccarat, and d) resolving all wagers placed on the wageringgame of baccarat. The player input controls may comprise a playercontrol dedicated to placing the second wager after the bonus event istriggered and may comprise, a designated region on a touchscreen, abutton which may be used solely for placing the second wager or a buttonor screen area which may be used for placing the second wager and forindicating another player input. For example, there may be a singlewager entry button which can be used for the first wager, and then whenthe bonus event is active, the same button may be then used for input ofthe second wager. The dedicated player control may comprise a secondwager input control, a second wager increase control and a second wagerdecline input control. The apparatus may have the processor default to ano second wager event if no player input is received within apredetermined time limit.

The game will be illustrated in examples on a single player video gamewith the understanding that this example should not be considered aslimiting the scope of the generic concept of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

A single player has entered credits in a video wagering apparatus with aprocessor and video monitor that is enabled with rules of play forbaccarat. In addition to these rules of play, the processor randomlydetermines when a present game or a next game is to be triggered,providing a bonus event according to the present invention. Theprocessor may have a random number generator that is programmed with aprobability based event determiner. For example, if the device wants toprovide the bonus event approximately 1/20 times the game is played,1000 stops or events may be provided to the random number generator and50 of the 1000 numbers (50/1000=1/20) will be assigned a bonus eventinitiating effect. By randomly selecting one stop or event with bonusevent initiating stops or events having a 1/20 probability,approximately 1/20 events will be a bonus event.

During, before or after each game event is initiated, the random numbergenerator selects one of the 1000 stops or events. When the bonus eventinitiator is not selected, a normal baccarat event is played at theinterval (game interval) affected by the selection process. When thebonus event indicator is selected, an indication is provided to theplayer that an identified event (e.g., the present event or the nextevent) will be a bonus event baccarat game. The signal can be anythingthat clearly identifies the occurrence of the bonus event. The noticemay be audio, visual, vibratory, alphanumeric display on a screen, bulblighting and the like. For example, the display may provide a visualindication of a bonus event and prompt the player to make another wager.Preferably, the range of possible wagers and amounts are displayed.

In FIG. 1, a screen shot 2 for a bonus event is displayed. The backs ofplaying cards 4, 8 and 10 are shown and during the bonus event and therevealed first card 6 is displayed as the seven of clubs. Preferably,the first card dealt is a player card. In order embodiments, the firstcard dealt is the banker card. The bonus event was previously indicatedby the musical notes symbols 12 and accompanied by an electronic musicalrendition that is broadcast so that the player is alerted to the bonusevent occurrence. In the displayed game, it will be assumed that theplayer has made a $10.00 wager on the Player hand. The display of theseven of clubs would be interpreted by the player to determine how theoption would be exercised for increasing the Player hand wager or not.The count of seven is a good final count and the presence of a zero card(10, J, Q or K) would cause the seven-count to remain fixed. An Ace (1)or 2 would improve the count to 8 and 9 respectively. Cards of 3, 4, 5,6, 7 and 8 would worsen the final count. As 7 of 13 possible cardsmaintain or improve the present count of 7 to a final count of 7, 8 or 9and 6 of 13 cards worsen the present count of 7 to the final count lessthan 7, a distinct advantage is provided to the player. It is likelythat the player would elect to increase the first wager. The playerwould use touchscreen or button controls to enter the additional wager.After entering the additional wager or declining the additional wager,the processor would proceed to complete the revelation of cards todisplay initial two-card player hands and two-card Banker hands. Theprocessor would then complete Player and Banker hands according to therules of baccarat embedded in the processor and executed by game logicor game processing capability in the system. If the Player hand count ishigher than the Banker hand count according to the conventional rules ofbaccarat, the player would win both the first wager and the additionalwager. If the counts of the Player hand and Banker hand were equal, bothwagers would push. If the Player hand count is lower than the Bankerhand count according to the conventional rules of baccarat, the playerwould lose both the first wager and the additional wager.

EXAMPLE 2

In FIG. 1, a screen shot 2 for a bonus event is displayed. In thisexample, the first Banker card is the first revealed card. The backs ofplaying cards 4, 8 and 10 are shown and during the bonus event and therevealed Banker hand card 6 is displayed as the seven of clubs. Thebonus event was previously indicated by the musical notes symbols 12 andaccompanied by an electronic musical rendition that is broadcast so thatthe player is alerted to the bonus event occurrence. In the displayedgame, it will be assumed that the player has made a $10.00 wager on thePlayer hand. The display of the seven of clubs would be interpreted bythe player to determine how the option would be exercised for increasingthe Player hand wager or not. The count of seven is a good final countfor the Banker hand and the presence of a zero card (10, J, Q or K)would cause the seven-count to remain fixed. An Ace (1) or 2 wouldimprove the count to 8 and 9 respectively. Cards of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8would worsen the final count. As 7 of 13 possible cards maintain orimprove the present count of 7 to a final count of 7, 8 or 9 and 6 of 13cards worsen the present count of 7 to the final count less than 7, adistinct advantage is provided to the Banker hand. It is likely that theplayer would elect to not increase the first wager, since he is playingagainst the banker hand. The player would use touchscreen or buttoncontrols to indicate that the player would not enter the additionalwager. After not entering the additional wager or declining theadditional wager, the processor would proceed to complete the revelationof cards to display initial two-card player hands and two-card Bankerhands. The processor might automatically default to not increasing theinitial wager if there was no active decision (yes additional wager orno additional wager) is made by the player within a predetermined timeperiod, such as 10, 15 or 20 seconds after the indication has been giventhat a bonus option is available. The processor would then completePlayer and Banker hands according to the rules of baccarat embedded inthe processor and executed by game logic or game processing capabilityin the system. If the Player hand count is higher than the Banker handcount according to the conventional rules of baccarat, the player wouldwin the first wager. If the counts of the Player hand and Banker handwere equal, the sole wager would push. If the Player hand count is lowerthan the Banker hand count according to the conventional rules ofbaccarat, the player would lose the wager.

There are some variations that can be accepted as within the scope ofthe present technology as variations and alternatives within the skillof the artisan. For example, the player may be allowed to increase ormake tie wagers after seeing the first card. The amount of theadditional wager may be restricted to multiples of existing wagers(e.g., 1× or 2× or 3× an existing wager) or the amount of the additionalwager may be optionally applied to multiples of existing wagers (e.g.,1× or 2× or 3× an existing wager) but applied to either the Player handor Banker hand, without regard to what hand the initial wager wasapplied.

It is also possible for a player to place a side bet from which a fixedpercent commission or a fixed price amount is kept by the house withoutrespect to game outcome. The amount of commission or the fixed price(relative to the maximum additional wager allowed) would be set at alevel that would assure a house advantage on the event, in spite of theapparent advantage provided to the player by allowing a player to see acard before making the additional wager. It is also possible to allowthe player to see only a single Player card instead of a Banker card, oreven to allow one card from each hand to be viewed.

There are hundreds of available computer languages that may be used toimplement embodiments of the invention, among the more common being Ada;Algol; APL; awk; Basic; C; C++; Cobol; Delphi; Eiffel; Euphoria; Forth;Fortran; HTML; Icon; Java; Javascript; Lisp; Logo; Mathematica; MatLab;Miranda; Modula-2; Oberon; Pascal; Perl; PL/I; Prolog; Python; Rexx;SAS; Scheme; sed; Simula; Smalltalk; Snobol; SQL; Visual Basic; VisualC++; Linux and XML.

Any commercial processor may be used to implement the embodiments of theinvention either as a single processor, serial or parallel set ofprocessors in the system. Examples of commercial processors include, butare not limited to Merced™, Pentium™, Pentium II™, Xeon™, Celeron™,Pentium Pro™, Efficeon™, Athlon, AMD and the like.

Display screens may be segmented display screens, analogue displayscreens, digital display screens, CRTs, LED screens, Plasma screens,liquid crystal diode screens, and the like.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificexamples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theinvention may be embodied in many other forms.

1. A player playing a baccarat game by a method comprising: at leastplayer placing a first wager in an underlying baccarat game; displayinga single card to be used specifically in either a Player hand or Bankerhand; after a player sees the single card, allowing the player toincrease the amount of the first wager on the underlying baccarat gamewith a second wager; and playing the baccarat game to conclusion andpaying any first wager and any second wager according to ordinaryresolution of baccarat wagers.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein prior todisplaying any Banker hand cards or Player hand cards, providing a priortrigger event.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to displaying anyBanker hand cards, providing a trigger event.
 4. The method of claim 3wherein the trigger event is randomly provided and further comprisingdisplaying a single card to be used specifically in either a Player handor Banker hand is then displayed.
 5. The method of claim 4 played on avideo format with a processor and the processor randomly provides thetrigger event.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the random event occurson a basis of hand play frequency by at least one player on the videoformat.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the trigger event is apredetermined event or sequence of events in the baccarat game.
 8. Themethod of claim 4 wherein the single card is dedicated to the Bankerhand.
 9. The method of claim 4 wherein the single card is dedicated tothe Player hand.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second wager islimited to a whole number multiple of the first wager.
 11. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the second wager must be placed on a same event outcomeon which the first wager was placed.
 12. The method of claim 1 whereinthe second wager must be equal to the first wager.
 13. The method ofclaim 5 wherein availability of placing a second wager is indicated tothe player before placing the first wager.
 14. The method of claim 5wherein availability of placing a second wager is indicated to theplayer after placing the first wager.
 15. An electronic apparatus forplaying a wagering game of baccarat comprising: a processor; a videomonitor; and player input controls, wherein the processor enables: a)display and play of a game of wagering game of baccarat on theapparatus, b) accepting wagers from the player on the wagering game ofbaccarat, c) determination of a random addition of a bonus event to theplay of the wagering game of baccarat, wherein the bonus event comprisesallowing the player after a first wager has been made on the wageringgame of baccarat, to see at least one card in play in the wagering gameof baccarat and, after seeing the at least one card, allowing the playerto optionally place a second wager on the wagering game of baccarat, andd) resolving all wagers placed on the wagering game of baccarat.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15 wherein player input controls comprise a playercontrol dedicated to placing the second wager after the bonus event isbeing played on the apparatus.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein theplayer control comprises a designated region on a touchscreen.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 16 wherein the player control comprises a buttonwhich may be used solely for placing the second wager.
 19. The apparatusof claim 16 wherein the player control comprises a button which may beused for placing the second wager and for indicating another playerinput.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the player controlcomprises a second wager increase input control and a second wagerdecline input control.
 21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein theprocessor defaults to a no second wager event if no player input isreceived within a predetermined time.